A Rogue of One’s Own Book Review

A Rogue of One’s Own Synopsis: Lucie is so close to owning her own publishing company with big ambitions for the suffragette movement. The only issue is Tristian Ballentine, her childhood nemesis, owns the other half, making them equal partners and Tristian has plans of his own for the publishing company. Tristian offers Lucie 1% of the company for the high price of one night with him. As tempers rise and banter becomes heated, Lucie comes to truly understand the statement that all is fair in love and war. The question is, where does she draw the line between her heart and her head?

Review:

A Rogue of One’s Own: 4/5

After reading Bringing Down the Duke I was super excited to read the this one. In some ways it was better than the first book and in others it was worse. Overall it was a good read. There was a lot of plot going on between the main and many, many subplots. I found the characters to be incredibly entertaining and I think I liked Lucie and Tristian more than Annabelle and Sebastian. They were both on the same page on a lot of issues, just in different ways. Even the ending of the book was nicely drawn out. Things got to be solved and I didn’t feel rushed. I didn’t rate it higher is the plot is foggy for most of the novel and I had issues with India’s portrayal. I did enjoy it immensely, but it just took me a while to get into the book.

Likes:

• Lucie: In the first book I wasn’t the fondest of her. She gave a lot of crap to Annabelle and was part of the conflict, so I was a little hesitant with the entire book being about her. Needless to say it was not a problem. I loved Lucie. Yes, she could be direct, cutting, and a little rude, but I liked that. She knew who she was and she wasn’t afraid of it. I loved her drive and passion that she had. Plus watching Lucie’s transformation throughout the books was superb! It was nice having her be the one to change the most in a book, as the FMC doesn’t get that story arc. Especially when it’s the female that learns that it’s okay to be in love. Also she’s the one that puts in more effort at the end. LOVE it! The flip of gender norms in a romance novel was great! Although the speed of their relationship was super fast, but I get it based on her personality.
• Tristian: I definitely liked Tristian more than Sebastian. I loved that he was sly and manipulative. Having the love interest be this way is definitely a plus for me! I would have liked some of his story to be more flushed out, but I can overlook that. I liked that he wrote poetry and wasn’t afraid of who he was. Plus, him and the cats. (Animal abuse is in this book!!) Love. He’s in touch with his emotions and is such a lovely man.
• Subplots: There were so many of these! They definitely kept the book moving and helped me speed through the novel. While some of them were bogged down and not tied up, the majority of them were interesting and helped with the pace of the novel.

Dislikes:

• Plot: This was one of my biggest issues with A Rogue of One’s Own. To give you an idea I got to 77% done and I actually said aloud, “Oh, that’s what’s going on. Finally.” Yeah. I understood Tristian’s desires for owning the publishing company and most of his actions, but Lucie? I got the general gist based on the fact that I read the first book, but it took me to 77% done with the book to realize the exact why of her desire. Not to mention there are so many subplots going on that I actually don’t remember if they all got solved.
• Treatment of Afghanistan & India: It’s 2021 and this book was published in 2020, we should be past this. (Obviously not if you look at the news, but I digress). While I appreciate the feelings that Tristian had that the war in Afghanistan was awful colonial overreach and the slaughtering of people was not a good thing, he rode his wave of heroism for a majority of the novel. I would have liked him to of not done that (I get why he did, but still unnecessary). Also the fact that he has a tattoo of the god Shiva (I assume it is Shiva based on the description) is something I would have rather not of had. And for it to be such a focal point too. Surely something else that could have been used like a peacock or something. I know that historical fiction (especially those taking place in the UK) has an issue with white supremacy, colonialism, slavery, and Christian superiority. But we should be moving past that, especially in a recent release. I expected more from the author, publisher, and editors. Also, Tristian’s servant being from India was also questionable element. I wanted some more from him and there was none. Just disappointed in it.

Long Story Short

Do I recommend reading A Rogue of One’s Own? Yeah, of course I do. Especially if you’ve read Bringing Down the Duke. It’s a fun time with the leader of a suffragette movement and the kind, rake of a duke. There are issues with some of the unclear plot points and cultural appropriation. I did devour the novel, a little slower than the first, but I felt the characters were overall better. Their relationship was enjoyable (even if I wish there had been a bit more build to it on the chemistry side) and I loved how Dunmore ended the novel. The end felt true to the entire story and I loved it. Overall, I do recommend it, but wish it had been edited better.

I borrowed my copy from the local library.
Here is the Amazon Link (I am NOT affiliated with Amazon)
What did you think of A Rogue of One’s Own? I don’t know if I would have done Lucie second, but overall it was good!

All opinions are of my own are not reflective of anyone else. I buy/loan all of the books I review unless specified and I only give my 100% true opinion on them.

Have you read the first book, Bringing Down the Duke? Read about Annabelle taking down the Duke of Montgomery in the first book! Read my review here.